


love's young dream

by zpyral



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: :), Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Jealous Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Jealousy, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Yearning, how is that not a tag wtf
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-24 14:08:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30073434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zpyral/pseuds/zpyral
Summary: Youtube had been a wild ride. He had gotten to play video games with his best friends for a living, make enough money to retire before he was 30, and create great content for people all across the world.Dream would’ve traded all of it in a second, if it had meant he got to keep George.OR: George is getting married, and Dream regrets so much.
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 122





	love's young dream

**Author's Note:**

> hey! very brief mention of vomiting warning! it's immediately after the first (and only) section break, which will look like a bunch of dashes in a row. i wish a very good morning/evening/night to all of my lovely emetophobes out there <3 stay safe :)

George is older than he is. When Dream was sixteen, the three year gap between them seemed small, almost unnoticeable at all. George had a squeaky voice and a squeakier laugh, something that he would never grow out of. Dream was calm and mature, not by nature, but by wanting to be respected amongst his older peers. As the years got longer, the gap between them grew wider. 

‘Other things’ became a common phrase out of George’s mouth, a common excuse as to why he hadn’t been on Discord in a few days. He was ‘busy with other things,’ or ‘other things have been’ on his mind. Dream had his guesses about what ‘other things’ really entailed, but he couldn’t say them aloud, lest the hole in his chest grow any larger. 

Soon enough, other things were spoken into reality. Other things meaning, George finally moved out of his mom’s house. George’s voice dripped with shame, quietly explaining that he would be moving to another part of London, not to Dream’s house in Florida, like they had discussed for years. Dream stayed quiet the entire conversation. Part of him wished he could say something cheesy that would magically make George want to abandon his life in England, but he didn’t. He grinned and beared it, congratulating George on his new home and saying nothing else. 

Other things turned into a girlfriend, only a few months after George had moved away. George had politely forgotten to mention her to Dream, waiting until after she had spoken in the background of one of their calls. Dream had jokingly asked if George had moved back in with his mom, only to be met with silence. When George introduced them, Dream swallowed past the lump in his throat and congratulated George on that, too. 

The girlfriend turned into a fiancée, far sooner than Dream would’ve liked. This time he didn’t find out through accident and instead through George himself. He called Dream one night, practically having a panic attack, asking him if he should propose. Dream said yes, and over the next few months, every time George would ask Dream if he should propose, Dream would answer yes. No matter how unsure George sounded or how sick it made Dream feel. The last time George asked, his voice quiet and small, Dream only responded with, “Do you really love her?” 

The next time Dream spoke to George, he referred to her as his fiancée, and Dream congratulated him then, too. 

Dream had never been one to cry, but the day he received George’s wedding invitations, he sobbed until he dry heaved into his pillow. He thought about calling his mom or his sister. He thought about calling Sapnap, whom he hadn’t spoken to for months. He thought about calling George of all people, and saying his cheesy romantic lines about how George should run away with him to Florida, and leave behind his bride-to-be. But, Dream didn’t call anyone, and in the morning he texted George, saying  _ ‘of course i’ll be there :).’ _

Youtube had been a wild ride. He had gotten to play video games with his best friends for a living, make enough money to retire before he was 30, and create great content for people all across the world. 

Dream would’ve traded all of it in a second, if it had meant he got to keep George. 

  
\---------  
  


Dream flew to London for the wedding a week prior. He threw on the plane ride over, twice. He explained it to the flight attendant by saying he had never been one for heights, but he knew that didn’t explain why he still felt nauseous long after the plane had landed and he was standing in Heathrow airport. 

As he was getting an overpriced Gatorade from a nearby vending machine, several texts arrived from hours earlier. 

_ george: has your flight already taken off _

_ george: dream ? _

_ george: let me know when you get off the plane please _

_ george: can you just come to the house  _

  
  


A fifth text listed out an address, which Dream immediately copied and pasted into the Uber app. 

_ dream: heathrow is crowded but omw _

_ dream: do u need me to pick up food? _

_ dream: george?? im off the plane now _

Dream attempted to make conversation, savoring the last few minutes he could have with George and George only. He didn’t receive any response to his texts however, even for the entire 40 minute Uber ride. Dream refreshed the message app, even restarting his phone entirely, wanting desperately for George to talk to him. 

_ dream: five min away _

_ dream: im here _

_ dream: can i just come in ? _

_ dream: ????? _

_ dream: im coming in _

Dream waved off of the uber apologetically and sprinted up to George’s front door. He knocked once, twice, and waited a minute before trying the handle, which pushed in immediately.

He found himself standing in a living room, mostly decorated in gray and blue furniture. it was connected to a kitchen, though both rooms appeared unused and strangely empty. 

“George?” dream called out, nervously awaiting a response.

After a few moments, Dream finally received a sign that George was still alive, “I’m up here.”

George looked like a wreck. His hair was uncombed, and he was clearly unshowered. He had a small amount of stubble on his face, enough to prove that he hadn’t been taking care of himself. His under eyes were dark and faintly purple, contrasted against his pale skin. His eyelashes were dark and matted together, clearly wet from tears, confirmed by the splotchy red stain around his tear ducts, nose, and lips. 

Dream cautiously approached him and sat down gently next to him, once George hadn’t made any obvious motion that he didn’t want Dream nearby. George buried his face in his palms, and when he took them back, Dream could see slow tears dripping down his face.

“what happened?” Dream asked softly, staring at the side of George's face. 

George just shook his head in response. Dream just took a deep breath. Concern was running through his entire body, and he desperately wanted to wrap his arms around George and comfort him. He wanted George to tell him what was wrong, where his fiancée was, but he knew that he couldn’t. He was afraid of scaring George away. 

“Ok.” Dream said simply. “Can i make you something to eat?”

George paused, “Please. There's tuna in the fridge,” his voice cracked slightly.

  
  
  


George followed behind Dream silently, which Dream was thankful for. He didn’t want George to stay isolated in his room for any longer. Plus, Dream didn’t know where any of George’s silverware was. 

Dream opened the fridge, pulling out the tuna. He grabbed the loaf of bread that was sitting on the counter and began dividing the tuna between two sandwiches. 

“There used to be a toaster there.” George said out of nowhere, staring at an empty wall socket behind Dream. Dream turned around, confirming that there was, in fact, no toaster. He turned back to look at george. 

“She took it, I guess.” George thought aloud.

Dream's mind spins, but he continues to spread the tuna, deciding to let George speak when he feels ready. He slides the plate over to George when he decides the tuna is evenly distributed.

George picks up one of the sandwiches, gesturing for Dream to have the other one, which Dream takes. He hates tuna, but the plane ride has left his stomach empty and desperate for anything. 

“We aren’t getting married.” George says, after several long minutes.

“Oh.” Dream replies dumbly, setting his sandwich down. 

George swallows, “Yeah.”

Dream hesitates, “Who. Uh, who decided that?”

George's eyebrows furrow. “I don’t even know. It happened this morning. I woke up after a bad dream, and she was already awake. So, you know, I asked what was wrong. And she asked me if I  _ actually _ wanted to get married.”

“That’s not a great thing to hear right before you’re supposed to be married.”

George smiles sadly, “I guess I took too long to answer.”

“Well? Did you want to get married?”

“No.” George answers, his eyes narrowing. “I never wanted to, I don't think.”

“You used to ask me if you should propose. Like, a lot.” Dream says cautiously. 

George pulls his bottom lip in between his teeth, “You always used to say yes.”

“I figured that’s what you wanted to hear.” Dream is looking directly into George’s eyes now, which are slightly brighter than they had been minutes before. 

“I wanted you to say no.” George says, and the words still the air. The silence of the house feels deafening, and the moment is made even more tense by thr fact that Dream is still staring into George’s eyes, and he can’t seem to look away. 

George has slight wrinkles around his eyes, Dream notices. His freckles are darker than he’s seen before. He looks older than Dream remembers, when he had first face revealed so long ago. But, he’s still the same George that Dream’s loved for years, even before he knew the face behind the laughter. 

And George gives him a look, and Dream is so, so tired of just looking. George may be a masterpiece, but some masterpieces are meant to be touched, and not just seen, Dream thinks.

And he thinks, so he does. He dives in, his fingers wrapping around the thin jawline he’d spent so many years merely looking at. He places the tips of his fingers on the smooth, pale skin there and he  _ can’t believe he spent so many years waiting.  _

He adds another moment of waiting, breath-baited, staring directly at George’s parted lips, for good measure. But, then there’s the connection. The click, and they’re on each other like they’ve been starved.

Dream thinks maybe he’s been starved. His chest feels hollow and hungry, but kissing George fills him full. The warmth that blooms in his chest feels like it would be impossible to live without, and Dream doesn’t know how he’s gone so long without it.

George disconnects the kiss, too early in Dream’s opinion, to look Dream hard in the eyes again. 

“This isn’t a rebound.” he says firmly, as if he was trying to ferment something in Dream’s mind.

Dream scoffs, “I’d hope not.”

“No, I mean. This isn’t a rebound. This is serious.” George repeats, “I really like you.” 

Dream stomach goes a bit fuzzy and he smiles, “That’s good. I really like you, too.”

The serious look on George’s face eases only slightly, “You really mean that? Like, this isn’t some weird build up of emotions?”

_ “Yes,  _ I mean it,” Dream says, exasperated. He plants a gentle kiss to the corner of George’s mouth for good measure, “I’ve liked you since you had that shitty mic that would bust all of our eardrums whenever you’d laugh too loud.” 

George’s face finally relaxes into something more endearing and he breathes out a sigh of relief.

“Ok. That’s good. But I’m not kissing you anymore.”

Dream’s face twists into panic, “What? Why?”

“Tuna breath.” George lays a kiss to Dream’s cheek, before taking another bite of his sandwich with a grin.

Dream kisses him square on the lips anyway, despite his protests. 

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading!! i hope you liked it :) the title for this fic came from the painting "love's young dream" by jennie brownscombe. it's one of my favorite paintings, mostly because of the kitten, but also because of the pininggggg
> 
> if you did enjoy - consider checking out my other fics! all of them are dnf centric 
> 
> also consider leaving kudos and comments! they're really encouraging and i love replying and reading them! tysm again <3


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